Thursday, December 22, 2011

Skogsøy 22 December 2011 - LESSER SCAUP CONFIRMED!

The first flap confirmed suspicions about the identity of this bird - grey on all primaries!

Getting slightly closer - but light still terrible

Head profile clearly visible in this shot

The high peak at the back of the head is unlike any Greater Scaup

Spooked by raptor or Raven it took flight - giving a clear view of the underwings. Dark bases to the flight feather s were another nail in the ID coffin....

Better view of the wingbar - clearly showing the brown-grey colouration on all primaries

A clearer shot of the underwing

And finally a gratuitous flight shot that adds little or nothing to the above...

It was a good call to go back out for another look for the intersting duck I found a few days ago. The bird was present again in exactly the same place I found it first time. After a long wait during feeding, diappearing and sleeping the bird finally flapped its wings....and the wingbar fit LESSER SCAUPPURPURHODEAND exactly!

Further waiting brought the bird no closer so bill detail was difficult to document with photographs. Luckily, the other birder present - newly moved into Øygarden - managed to confirm lack of / very limited black nail on the beak.

If accepted this record will be the first record for the county of Hordaland and possibly only the fifth for Norway (someone correct me here as I am not sure about this) depending on whether one counts returning birds as new.

The bird finally started to come closer but was spooked by something (heard Ravens alarming but didn't dare look away from the viewfinder). It then flew a short distance but this gave the long awaited view of the underwing - again confirming the identification and hopefully ruling out all talk of hybridisation...

Many thanks to all those who have been assisting (and encouraging me!) with this tricky bird!

Finally an introduction to something almost as rare as the duck - a birder living in Øygarden. Nigel Goodgame has recently moved to Øygarden from inland UK. He has already found a number of goodies on previous trips and will no doubt find plenty more -but what a way to kick off living and birding in Norway!

Nigel Goodgame - one of two very happy birders at Skogsøy today

There are now three birders living in Øygarden. Only one of them is Norwegian.....